The Rules to the Chaotic Trading Card Game aren't too complicated, once you get the hang of them.
It's All in the Cards
Each card is unique, and has a 12 digit code, for use on the website. The five types of card are:
Attack
These are your action or command cards. These are in your main play deck, where you can have 20 cards. When you've used them up, you can recycle your used cards. You always have 2 attack cards in hand, so you always have a chocie of what to play.
Creature
Your monster or character cards. These are the cards you play with, they each have different abilities. No-one of these are the same, as they all have different stats and a unique 12-digit code. The default amount is 3, but you can have 1, 6, 10, 15 or 21 in your Creature deck. You always have the same amount as your opponent, and always have an equal amount of Mugic.
The five Creature tribes are:
- OverWorlders
- UnderWorlders
- Mipedians
- Danians
- M'arrillians
In the TV series, the various tribes of Creatures have had long-lasting rivalries with other tribes. Example: OverWorlders and UnderWorlders. However, since the M'arrillians have appeared, the tribes are attempting to work together in order to stop them from ruling over Perim. Certain tribes have abilities exclusive to their tribe, such as the M'arrillian's mind manipulation and the Danian's hive ability. Also, each tribe has their own Mugic for the use of their tribe only to assist in their goals. Each of the first 4 tribes pursues the Cothica for various reasons, however what they will do when they have it has yet to be explained.
BattleGear
BattleGear are your weapons, vehicles and other special equipment. In the Chaotic TV series and the game there are many different types of BattleGear ranging from from gear and firearms to vehicles, armor, and other battle aids. As with Mugic, some BattleGear must have certain types of Creatures wield them or they will be useless or ineffective. Example: To use the liquilizer the Creature wielding the BattleGear must be able to use water attacks. Also, in the TV show, some BattleGear can change from their orginal size to better suit its wielder, while others must have certain sized Creatures in order to be wielded.
Mugic
These are like Magic spells. They are one-use cards that each have special effects. These often turn the tables of the game, so anything could happen. In the show, Mugic is the magic of Chaotic. Each Mugic has a different video sequence, and plays seven notes--unique to that Mugic-- when cast. The plural is Mugix. There are many Mugic in Chaotic and each have varying effects and uses. While there is Mugic that can be used by all Creatures, there are also tribe specific Mugic that can only be used by a Creature of that specfic tribe or that has the ability to use other tribal Mugics. In the TV series Mugics are created by Chaotic Creatures and have an array of uses on and off the battlefield. Some Mugics have instant effects, while others grant the Creatures temporary abilities like growing in size or gaining a new ability. While in the game Mugics end after the match or battle is over, in Perim some Mugics continue to last until it has completed its purpose or counteracted by another Mugic and/or other objects and abilities. They have been shown to have variety of effects, ranging from damaging a Creature and enhancing one's abilities, to physical modification and mind manipulation. The extent of what Mugics are capable of have yet to be touched upon and the creation of Mugic has yet to be talked about in depth.
Location
Special areas that also give characters abilities or handicaps. They can be reused. In the TV series, some Locations have unique properties that come from certain aspects of their creations or alterations. You always have 10 in your deck.
The Playmat
There is a special playmat for the game. It's divided into 3 areas:
Card Sites
These are where you place your cards at the start of the match. There are various areas for each of the different card types.
Fields of Play
This is where you place your Creatures and fight with them.
Charts
These are used to keep score of points and events.
How to Play
The basic rules are simple. In a duel, each player selects three Characters and equips them with the BattleGear of their choice face down. You also select 20 Action cards, 3 Mugic cards, and 10 Landscapes, and place them in the appropriate areas. Your hand is initially made of 2 Action cards. When it’s your turn you draw a third. From there, you move one of your Characters to one of your opponent’s spaces and challenge them to a battle. You also reveal the Landscape card where the battle is supposed to take place. Revealing the BattleGear card is optional, and it only goes into effect if you turn it face up. Each Character has various abilities. They also have a set number of life points. When you challenge, you attack the targeted monster with one of these abilities. The Action, Mugic, and BattleGear cards can add to your ability or cut your opponent’s ability down. You compare the respective ability scores to see which is higher. The loser has the difference removed from their monster’s life points. When the life points reach zero, the monster is removed from the game. Like the TV show, the first person to remove all of his/her opponent’s Characters is the winner.
Online Play
All of the cards come with one other special feature. According to Gannon, each and every card comes with an INDIVIDUAL computer code; that is, your Maxxor card will have its very own individual code while your friend’s Maxxor will have a DIFFERENT CODE. There’s a very good reason for it. More on that in a minute. What’s important for the moment is when you get your cards, you can then go on to Chaotic’s official website and register all your cards (www.chaoticgame.com). From there you can also play the very same game online with anyone you care to. “We’re already working on the tournament schedule and game play program right now,” says Gannon. “They will be for both comic and game retailers as well as for online. Like the TV show, you can play the game with people from anywhere online. We’ve experimented with it at New York City’s Neutral Ground, where we tried a tournament with about 20 different computers. What was amazing is that we did it all without any paperwork. When all is said and done, we’ll have a lot of other stores set up the same way. I’d love to see it get to the point where we have store-based tournament teams.”
(The website is currently closed, though for how long is unknown).
Security
There’s another interesting thing about the individual codes. A special security program has been set up so that only one person can claim the card online. So anyone who tries to cheat by claiming they have a card you already registered can’t do it. This is VERY important because the Characters come with one additional twist. There are different versions of the same character card. By this we mean that there’s a version of Maxxor that has his Courage rating at 100, while another might list it at 90. That 10-point difference could be the difference between whether your Maxxor survives a battle or not, and obviously, the higher the score, the better. As one can imagine, the more powerful the monster, the rarer it is. "If I have two loves in my life, it’s for technology and trading cards," says Gannon. "As for the first, I used my knowledge of technology to make this game. What I’m really pleased about is that I’ve also been a collector since I was a little kid. You can’t imagine how good it feels to be able to put these two together and do Chaotic, and I think we’ve really taken trading cards to the next level."